


In Too Deep, Literally

by MeganRosenberg



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Brotherly Love, Cave-In, Danger, Friendship, Gen, Head Injury, Hurt, Hurt Prompto Argentum, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Minor Injuries, POV Gladiolus Amicitia, POV Prompto Argentum, Protective Gladiolus Amicitia, Protective Ignis Scientia, Protective Noctis Lucis Caelum, Scared Prompto Argentum, Trapped, Worried Noctis Lucis Caelum, falling in a pit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:48:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25656160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeganRosenberg/pseuds/MeganRosenberg
Summary: During a routine dungeon exploration, Prompto and Gladio fall down into a pit and have to wait at the bottom for Ignis and Noctis to go back to camp to get supplies to help them climb back out. Prompto is minorly injured and somewhat panicked, while Gladio struggles with feelings of failure due to being unable to solve the problem himself.
Comments: 9
Kudos: 109





	1. Chapter 1

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Chapter 1

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"How many more of these creepy dungeon things are we gonna go through?" Prompto frowned, wrapping his arms around himself and shrinking down as he walked along between Gladio and Ignis. He sure as hell didn't want to lead the way, but didn't want to be last in their group either. Something huge and scary might jump out and grab him if he was the last one. Maybe no one else would even notice right away if he was bringing up the rear - behind everyone else, out of sight, out of mind. He preferred to stay in the middle.

"As many as we need to. There are a few more Royal Arms… and who knows what else." Noctis shrugged as he led the way. "Any advantage we can find, even if we have to work pretty hard to secure it, is bound to come in handy later. We'll be glad we worked through each of these places when it's all said and done."

"Yeah… Maybe…" Prompto looked nervously up and down the walls and ceilings of the tunnel. It seemed like they were walking gradually further and further underground. It felt like the path sloped downhill slightly, and he was sure it was getting colder and colder by the minute.

"Not maybe, Prompto." Ignis disagreed. "Everything we're doing serves its purpose."

"I know..." Prompto exhaled, kicking a rock under his foot as he continued on. It tumbled down the sloping path in front of him, past the feet of his companions. "It'll be nice when we're done though, heading back up... The air's gonna get warmer as we go instead of colder... But then, we'll have to go up-hill instead of down, and it's such a long way. I'm exhausted just thinking about it."

"Just stop complaining, Prompto." Gladio grumbled. "It's not gonna make this go by any faster to have to listen to you bitching through the whole thing. This is nothing new or unexpected… It's a cold dark tunnel. We've been in plenty of 'em before, and we'll end up in plenty more. It's not the end of the world."

"Plenty more?" Prompto groaned. "How many exactly is plenty?"

"I don't know…" Gladio smirked slightly. "Fifty?"

"Ugh… You better be joking, Gladio. I don't have the emotional strength to handle fifty more of these… I could handle maybe five more, tops. That's pushing it too. These places take a lot outta me... Long, tedious, dark, cold, scary... Not really my cup of tea... I mean, I can handle it... A few more times, I guess. I hope we get done soon though. With this one at least. It's freezing in here…" Prompto hugged his arms tighter around himself.

"I told you to wear a jacket." Ignis frowned as he looked back over his shoulder.

"I did. This is my jacket!" Prompto gestured down at himself.

"That's a vest." Ignis raised an eyebrow. "Your arms are entirely exposed."

"Because I don't want a weird tan line when we go back out in the sunlight." Prompto pouted. "Plus, it's hard to move around fast with a big bulky jacket in the way. Usually we're running around outside in the day time, fighting stuff... How am I supposed to know when we're gonna be spending full days straight underground in cold caves? Or staying out all night above ground, even."

"That's why you bring a jacket, and take it off if you find you don't need it." Ignis reminded him. "Prompto, we've been over this…"

Gladio simply laughed from behind him, earning a scowl from the younger man.

"Do you even own a real jacket, Prompto?" Noctis wondered from up front.

Prompto shrugged. "Not, like with me… I didn't think I'd need it. We were driving, and I figured when we camped we would have the fire… And blankets in the tent. And it's so hot in the daytime usually. I mean, how was I supposed to know we'd just go underground randomly and stay there for hours and hours and hours and hours-"

"Okay, Prompto. Hours and hours. Got it. You do probably need to think about getting a jacket though." Noctis persisted. "You didn't think you'd need it. Fair enough. But now you do know… So you should get one."

"Where?" Prompto pouted. They didn't exactly come across many clothing shops out in the middle of nowhere. "We're in a cave. I doubt I'm gonna just find a jacket lying around."

"Maybe on the body of someone who didn't make it back out." Ignis noted. "Someone who wasn't watching his surroundings, spending all of his time complaining and not watching his back, but who perhaps had the foresight to wear a jacket at least. His loss would your your gain - as long as you do in fact make it out after all this."

Prompto felt his eyes widen. Ignis always knew how to scare the hell out of him. He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest, determined not to let Ignis's remark get to him - at least not externally. "I haven't seen any dead bodies... Just monsters. I don't think the monsters here are that dangerous. Haven't seen any indication that anyone died in here."

"Because you're too focused on your own discomfort." Ignis went on. "I did see bones a while back. They looked human."

Prompto felt his lower lip stick out in a pout. "You're kidding... Right? You didn't really see bones... Did you?"

"We did see some about fifteen minutes ago. Might not have been human. They were pretty broken up... But they could have been human. I think you were busy complaining to Gladio about your feet hurting." Noctis noted. "So you missed the conversation entirely."

"You could actually make a jacket out of a monster's skin." Gladio suggested. "Some of the ones with fur would be really warm. The monsters down here have adapted to the cold and probably have really good skin for it."

"Ew…" Prompto grumbled. He was pretty sure Gladio was joking, but not one hundred percent sure. "I'm not wearing monster skin."

"Maybe it'd be a good disguise. They'd think you're one of them and wouldn't bother you." Noctis suggested with a laugh.

Prompto stared, narrowing his eyes and frowning. "Do you think that would work though?" He wondered legitimately. "Might not be a bad idea, really…"

"I was kidding, Prompto." Gladio laughed. "We'll get you an actual jacket somewhere."

"I may have an extra back at camp." Ignis noted.

"Of course you do." Noctis laughed. "Always prepared."

"Well, someone has to be. You're free to use it if you'd like, Prompto." Ignis offered.

Prompto narrowed his eyes, looking down at his arms. Jackets made it harder to move quickly… They got in the way… Ignis's jacket would be too big too. He'd probably have to roll up the sleeves a bit - and it would be even more in the way than if he used one his own size. "I don't know, Iggy… Maybe it'd be more trouble than it's worth."

"You could at least wear it at night." Ignis shrugged.

"Maybe…" Prompto noted, still not entirely sold on the idea.

"Do you think there's a good place to set up camp in here?" Gladio changed the subject from behind him. "Probably's getting pretty late by now..."

Prompto felt his eyes widen as he turned toward his friend. "What? We're not gonna just try to get through it and be done? We won't be able to sleep anyway… We'll have to keep watch, and it's freezing… Why can't we just get through this place and get out? Why do you wanna prolong this!?"

"Continuing to fight through a dangerous place while we're exhausted isn't the safest choice. I'd say it wouldn't be a bad idea to start looking for a safe place to rest, if only for a few hours." Ignis agreed with Gladio.

"Noct?" Prompto called out pleadingly, hoping his friend would agree that it would be better to power through and be done with this horrible place.

"If we find a place that seems safe…" Noctis answered with the shrug of one shoulder. "If it doesn't seem safe, I say we keep going… but if it looks safe enough, I think Iggy and Gladio are right. It'd be better to rest up and not try to fight hordes of monsters while we're sleep deprived."

"Awww…" Prompto felt his shoulders slump as he threw his head back dramatically.

"Come on, bud. You'll live." Gladio clapped Prompto's shoulder with a slight smirk.

"We'll be safe. Especially with you staying up and keeping watch, hm, Prompto?" Ignis added with a sly smirk of his own.

"What?!" Prompto groaned.

"He's kidding, Prompto. Geeze." Noctis shook his head. "Chill out for once."

Prompto let out an annoyed grumble, but continued walking after Ignis, making sure to keep Gladio behind him so he wasn't the last one. He could just picture some slimy serpent monster sliding around the tunnels behind them, watching, waiting for what it perceived to be the weakest prey to fall behind.

Prompto would be the one a monster would see as the weakest too. It always seemed like any horrible creature looking to pick somebody to drag down a hole or throw against a wall, to pull under the surface of whatever kind of water nearby... anything awful, it was always him.

Maybe he really was the weakest… He was the smallest. His weapon was even small. He didn't look intimidating, because he just wasn't an intimidating presence… Not like Gladio who was huge and wielded a giant sword to match, or Noctis, who also used any number of large weapons and struck out with them so fast and hard. Even Ignis was pretty tall, and used weapons that looked more threatening than a little gun would to a monster that didn't know what a gun was. If there was a monster looking for the easiest kill, Prompto would definitely be the target.

Shrinking down and glancing over his shoulder, Prompto swallowed. He was scaring himself just thinking about this.

"What?" Gladio stared at him.

"Nothing…" Prompto shook his head as he noticed something shiny standing out in an alcove behind the larger man. "Wait… What's that?" He asked, stepping back toward it. Maybe it would be something useful, a rare mineral or loot they could use or sell. There was all sorts of cool stuff to be found in these caves - from naturally occurring elements to treasure lost by the poor people who came in here before them and never made it out.

Gladio turned and walked after him, and for that Prompto was glad. He wanted to check and see what the item was - but at the same time, didn't want to stray far from the others and get pulled into some creepy monster's den. He was glad Gladio chose to back him up without Prompto having to ask him to.

"What is it?" Gladio asked as they got closer.

"I dunno-" Prompto started, stepping closer, then gasping a sharp breath as the ground beneath his feet started to crumble. "Gladio!" He shouted, turning back and grabbing toward the other man as he felt himself slipping. The ground he had walked over was extremely unstable, and quite a bit of it was crumbling right under his feet.

"Prompto!" Gladio yelled back, reaching quickly out toward Prompto's arms and grabbing him as Prompto felt the ground below his feet quickly disappearing.

Prompto let out a frightened, shaky whimper as he felt Gladio's hands around his arms, as he tried to scramble forward and was only met with more dust and crumbling rock as Gladio pulled him back. But the hole in the ground where they had been previously standing only increased in diameter, pulling Gladio down too.

"Damn it!" Gladio growled, still gripping Prompto's arm tight in one hand as he stumbled forward and tried to grab at the wall of the hole they were being sucked down into with the other.

"Gladio!?" Noct's voice rang out from what now sounded like it was pretty far away. "Prompto!?"

"What happened?" Ignis's voice shouted.

"The ground-" Prompto cut himself off with a shaky scream as he stumbled forward, hitting the dirt wall before sliding back, falling even further down. He couldn't tell if he was stumbling down a slope or going straight down. So far, his feet hadn't seemed to connect with any sort of secure ground, even as his arms and legs seemed capable of bumping into every sharp rock embedded in the walls. Everything was collapsing - the ground at least… maybe parts of the hole's walls too.

Prompto coughed as he continued sliding ungracefully downward, hitting his back rather hard against the side of the ever-deepening pit before falling further forward - or downward… or something.

At this point, Gladio lost his grip on him and Prompto was knocked down to his hands and knees, but he wasn't done falling yet. He rolled a couple times, feeling sharp stones scratching his arms and digging into his back, thighs, and anything else they could reach as he tried to cover his head and face with his arms and hands.

"Gladio!" Prompto screamed, rolling even further down the chaotic, steep, crumbling tunnel. It was really more of a hole… A deep, pretty much straight-down hole. How the hell were they going to get back out?

He heard Gladio let out a pained grunt as well. Prompto wasn't the only one still tumbling down.

Prompto continued falling, bumping against all sorts of scratchy, hard, painful things until he settled harshly against the flat surface of the bottom of this horrible pit. Somehow, he managed to land quite hard on his wrist and hit his forehead at the same time. He was also pretty sure his entire body was probably littered with scrapes and bruises.

As soon as he landed, Prompto found he was completely out of breath, not sure if he could even move. All he could do was whimper a tiny, pained noise, barely audible. His whole body hurt, but at the same time, he was starting to feel almost numb, like he was asleep and this whole thing was a dream.

For a moment, as the dust started to settle, Prompto couldn't get himself to breathe. His lungs wanted air, but he just couldn't manage to inhale. As the seconds ticked by and he couldn't get himself to breathe, panic started to set in. What if his lungs had somehow broken on the way down? What if he died? He felt tears stinging his eyes as he considered it. He might actually die. He could be actively dying right now...

He heard muffled, unclear voices - worried voices - Noctis and Ignis, shouting down at them. Gladio was saying something back, but Prompto couldn't focus. He couldn't tell what they were saying. He just knew they were saying something.

His wrist hurt. His head hurt. His lungs wouldn't expand. He could feel tears pooling in his eyes as he hugged his wrist against his chest and tried to suck in a breath. He only saw darkness. He was pretty sure he was on his side, maybe on his chest, facing down. Maybe the darkness was the dirt floor. He was in so much pain.

"Prompto-" Gladio's voice sounded closer, slightly more clear, but still not entirely. It still sounded like Prompto was under water and Gladio was up on land.

Prompto let out a tiny, shaky cough, still not really managing to intake a full breath. He felt Gladio's hands on his arms, rolling him onto his back. Prompto held his hurt wrist protectively against his chest, unable to make his mouth move to warn Gladio not to accidentally bump it. He couldn't get himself to speak, to breathe… to do much of anything other than let out a tiny, breathless, pained whimper and blink back unshed tears

Honestly, Prompto could barely make out Gladio's face as the man stared down at him. He looked worried, maybe… but everything was so dusty, so clouded.

Gladio continued saying something down at him as Prompto blinked, trying to see him more clearly, trying to get himself to breathe as his body felt more and more numb. Maybe breathing wasn't such a big deal… He didn't feel as much pain anymore at least. Was he passing out? Should he be scared that he might be passing out? Should he try to force himself to stay awake, to keep trying to inhale?

"Prompto!" Gladio's voice sounded so far away, even though the man was clearly right there, staring down at him, yelling, shaking him by his shoulders.

Inhaling a very shaky, labored breath, Prompto squeezed his eyes closed for a second, feeling tears sticking to his eyelashes as he forced them back open. Gladio's hand was against the side of Prompto's face and he was saying something else, still staring worriedly down at the younger man.

"Gladio-" Prompto choked weakly, reaching his uninjured hand up toward the man's arm as he noticed his vision fading at the edges. "You okay?" He whispered.

Gladio said something back, but Prompto couldn't quite make it out. Everything sounded like he was underwater, and his vision was quickly fading into a smoky haze.

He could still hear the worried voices of all three of his friends, muffled and unclear as everything around him faded into darkness.

xxxxxx


	2. Chapter 2

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Chapter 2

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"You guys okay?" Noctis yelled down as small pebbles and quite a bit of dirt continued raining lightly down on them.

"Maybe." Gladio called back, still focusing on Prompto, who was entirely passed out down on the ground in front of him, so far not responding to Gladio gently attempting to shake him back awake.

The younger man had been awake for a moment after the fall, though seemingly quite confused - maybe in shock. Gladio had tried speaking to him, asking if he was hurt, but Prompto had just stared up at him, coughing softly, blinking as though he could barely see, eventually breathing shaky, painful sounding breaths. It didn't seem like any of Gladio's words had been sinking in. Prompto wasn't answering his questions. Wasn't saying much of anything. Then when he finally did speak, he asked if Gladio was okay and passed out.

Fortunately, they all had small flashlights attached to their clothing so they could see in places like this. Through the still-settling dirt and debris, Gladio noted that Prompto looked a little scuffed up. That was no surprise after the fall they'd just taken. Gladio likely had quite a few injuries of his own… but Gladio wasn't unconscious down on the ground. Prompto was, so of course assessing the younger man's injuries was a priority at the moment.

Prompto had a small cut on his forehead with a bit of blood dripping down, collecting in his eyebrow. His lip was bleeding slightly too, and he had quite a few scrapes up and down his arms. He had one wrist hugged against his chest like it was hurt, but by simply glancing over it quickly without a thorough examination of the limb, Gladio determined that it didn't seem noticeably broken. That didn't mean that it wasn't of course.

Gladio couldn't tell just yet if the boy had any broken bones, but he didn't seem to be bleeding significantly anywhere, there were no large cuts or protruding bones. Nothing seemed out of place besides scrapes, bruises, and the fact that the boy was obviously knocked out. The first priority was going to be to make sure he woke back up, and quickly. The longer he stayed out, the more likely he might have a pretty serious head injury. Gladio wasn't going to feel much relief until he had his friend awake, talking, moving, assuring the older man that he was alright...

"Hey, wake up, kid…" Gladio spoke in a lower voice, putting his hand gently on Prompto's shoulder and shaking him lightly. "Bud, you gotta wake up..."

"What's going on, Gladio? Talk to us." Ignis requested. "Prompto, you okay?"

Gladio shook his head. "He's knocked out… I think he hit his head. I'm- I'll try to wake him up… He was awake a second ago… Don't get worried just yet. I'm sure he's fine… Just give us a second..." Gladio honestly wasn't sure of his own words, but there was no need to get everyone panicked. They could all start panicking if Prompto didn't wake up. For now, there was no good reason to get everyone worked up.

"We've got to find a way down…" Noctis noted, his voice not loud enough for Gladio to believe the younger man was speaking to him. He was likely talking to Ignis instead. He did sound worried though. Prompto was his best friend. It had to hurt to be up there, unable to help, knowing Prompto was unconscious at the bottom of a pit.

"Let's not do anything brash." Ignis spoke back. "Gladio's with him. If we can get down safely, we will. It won't do us any good to all be stuck down there. At least for now, two of us are up here, able to get help or supplies if need be."

"But he's-" Noctis started.

Gladio shook his head, tuning out Ignis and Noct's conversation going on up above. They could argue about it all they wanted. Noct and Iggy being down here or not being down here wasn't going to wake Prompto back up, wasn't going to ensure that he wasn't seriously hurt.

"You gotta wake up, Prompto. Come on, bud. Open your eyes…" Gladio shook Prompto carefully again, moving his hand down over the boy's ribs, exhaling a relieved breath when he felt both the steady rise and fall of his chest, indicating Prompto was in fact still breathing, as well as his somewhat quick heart beat.

Prompto still didn't open his eyes though. His head lolled limply to the side, but he remained otherwise perfectly still.

Grimacing, Gladio swallowed nervously, putting his hand carefully against Prompto's cheek, leaning down closer. "Prompto, please wake up…" He whispered, looking up for a moment, realizing just how deep this hole they were in was.

The others couldn't reach them. This was Gladio's problem to fix, and though he was usually entirely confident, he was starting to feel extremely uncertain, nervous, scared even. What if Prompto was seriously hurt? What if he had broken bones, internal bleeding? Gladio didn't know how to deal with something like that. He could bandage cuts, reset dislocated shoulders or fingers. He could fashion a sling out of any kind of cloth... But he couldn't fix internal injuries. He couldn't make a concussion go away... What if they couldn't get back up and the kid died down here?

"Gladio?" Noctis yelled down, his voice dripping with worry. "Is he waking up?"

Gladio shook his head, but didn't answer out loud just yet. He didn't want to worry the others. He didn't want everyone else feeling as panicked as he did right now. It wasn't helpful. It wouldn't do anyone any good, and might actually make things worse.

"Prompto…" Gladio hissed, his voice low, but urgent, maybe even angry. Prompto always followed orders if Gladio made sure the kid knew he was serious. "Wake up. Now… We don't have time for this… Wake up..."

After perhaps a minute - though it felt like excruciatingly longer, Prompto let out a soft, shaky breath, flinching slightly, groaning, and dragging his eyelids open with seemingly a bit of difficulty. His eyebrows were furrowed and his mouth set in a grimace like he was in pain, but he was moving, slowly waking up. He was going to be okay.

"That's it, bud… Open your eyes… Take some breaths…" Gladio suggested, putting a hand lightly on Prompto's chest, hoping to both offer physical comfort to the boy as well as to himself. Just feeling Prompto breathing, his heart beating, his body moving slightly as he regained consciousness made Gladio feel infinitely better about this situation.

Prompto choked softly, blinking his eyes a few times before closing them again and focusing simply on breathing. His breaths sounded somewhat pained, a little shaky and shallow, but he was definitely awake now at least.

"Hey…" Gladio couldn't help but to offer a relieved smile as he exhaled a breath he didn't realize he had been holding in as Prompto blinked a few times and finally looked at him. "You okay, Prompto? You awake? Can you hear me?"

"Gladio?" Prompto whimpered, reaching up with one hand and grabbing Gladio's wrist as he blinked, staring with confusion up past the man's shoulder before looking back into his eyes with a frown. "What happened?"

"We fell down a hole…" Gladio explained rather bluntly.

"We di-" Prompto cut himself off with a series of dry, pained coughs, squeezing his eyes shut, gripping Gladio's jacket sleeve in a tight, almost frantic fist.

Gladio frowned, pulling the boy as gently as he could into a sitting position and resting one hand on his back. It wasn't surprising that Prompto was coughing so much. The air was pretty thick with unsettled dust.

Gladio frowned as he looked around the small space they were in. There wasn't much he had to offer to help the kid breathe better. The air was just dirty right now. So instead he tried comforting words, knowing they'd mean more to Prompto than to a lot of people.

"You're okay…" He spoke in a low voice, rubbing the boy's back gently as his coughing slowly died down. "Take some breaths. You're alright. You're gonna be fine. Just stay calm… I know you're probably in pain… and it's hard to breathe… Just do your best. You're gonna be alright."

Prompto shook his head slightly, squeezing his eyes closed tighter. Gladio noticed tears silently rolling down his cheeks.

"What's wrong?" Gladio whispered, leaning down closer.

Prompto shook his head, coughing again. "Just-" He cut himself off with more shaky coughs. "H-hard to br-breathe…" He gasped, grimacing and squeezing his eyes closed again. "I'm okay… It's just so dusty... My eyes are crying on their own… I-"

"Oh… Okay…" Gladio nodded, exhaling a small breath. That made sense. The dust had probably irritated the boy's eyes, forcing them to water. "You think you're alright? You're managing to get some good breaths in… I know they're probably scratchy." Gladio noted. His own throat itched as well, so he could empathize with Prompto's discomfort.

"I'm okay…" Prompto whispered, inhaling another shaky breath and opening his eyes back up. His lower lip was stuck out in a pathetic pout as he looked up at the surface of the tunnel again. "That's a long way down… or up…" He noted.

"Yeah…" Gladio agreed. "Let's see if we can't find a way back up there. Think you can stand? Are you hurt?" He asked, glancing briefly up toward where he knew Ignis and Noct were waiting - even though he couldn't really see them through the still-settling dust. He probably owed them an update at this point. "We're okay, guys… He's awake! We're gonna take a couple breaths and see if we can't find a way back up. Give us a minute."

"We'll look for a possible way back up from up here as well!" Ignis offered.

"Thanks!" Gladio looked back down at Prompto, who still seemed a little out of it, like he was slightly confused, lost even. "We fell pretty far… Pretty hard too… You think you can stand up?" Gladio asked, reaching a hand down to help his friend. "I know that fall probably knocked your breath right outta your lungs… It did mine... Think you hit your head too. You were out for about a minute. You feeling alright?"

Prompto frowned and looked around himself, all but completely ignoring Gladio's line of questions, still hugging his arm against his chest.

"Are you hurt, Prompto? Are you in pain?" Gladio furrowed his brows, bending down slightly in an effort to see his friend a little better.

"I don't know…" Prompto whimpered, looking down at himself and sticking his lip out in a pout again. "My wrist…" He whispered.

Gladio nodded. He could tell the boy's wrist hurt merely by the way he had hugged it to his chest shortly before passing out. He was still being overly protective of the limb. "Does it feel like it's broken? You want me to look at it?" Gladio offered.

Prompto shook his head. "No. I just wanna get outta here…" He spoke in a small voice, struggling to drag himself up off the ground.

"I'll help you up." Gladio offered, gripping the younger man's hand and helping him pull himself to his feet. "You alright? I think you hit your head at least once. I mean, I know you did... You think you're okay to walk? Just until we get out of here?"

Prompto shook his head and shrugged. "I don't know…" He whispered, sounding quite confused and frightened. He took a small step, then stumbled slightly, tripping forward with a sharp breath and a small whimper.

Gladio grimaced, reaching out with both hands and gripping Prompto's arms. "You okay, Prompto?" He asked again. "Your ankle hurt or something?" He looked down at the boy's feet, wondering what exactly had caused him to stumble.

"No…" Prompto spoke in a small voice. "I'm just… My ankles are okay, I think… I'm not in that much pain, really. Just... Feel kinda nauseated... I'm just… kinda dizzy…" He breathed, closing his eyes.

"Alright… Let's sit back down." Gladio suggested, helping Prompto back down so that he was leaning against the dirt wall. The younger man promptly closed his eyes again and leaned his head back. He looked like he felt pretty sick - not so much a pained look, but like he was close to throwing up. Maybe it was because he'd hit his head. Maybe he was just extremely nervous to have fallen down here into this dark, deep pit. Gladio didn't know. He just knew he needed to do whatever he could to get them out of here, as soon as possible - so someone with more medical expertise - such as Ignis - could take over.

"Feel like I've been spinning upside down or something..." Prompto breathed, his eyes still closed. "Like I went on a really rough carnival ride... and also hit my head and arm and everything else a million times along the way."

Gladio nodded, staring nervously at his friend. Prompto kept his eyes closed, like even just existing was making him want to vomit. His breaths were a little quick and shallow, like perhaps he was slowly working himself up toward hyperventilating. The kid did get pretty panicked pretty easily. If anyone in their group was likely to freak out more than needed after something like this, it would be Prompto.

"Hey..." Gladio knelt down next to his friend, putting a hand gently on Prompto's knee. "Look at me, Prompto." He requested, placing his other hand on Prompto's upper arm, trying his best to be comforting.

Prompto blinked his eyes open and stared at Gladio, sticking his lower lip out in a pout, but remaining silent for once. His breaths were still quick and shaky. His eyes even seemed to almost shine with unshed tears. It was clear the issue here was more than the kid feeling disoriented and nauseated. He was definitely scared, on the verge of panic.

Gladio forced a small smile, rubbing his hand lightly up and down Prompto's arm. "You're gonna be okay, alright? I'll make sure of it. This isn't a big deal. We fell a little bit down. We'll get back up there. It's a minor setback. Not a big deal at all. Just try to keep breathing in and out, deep, slow breaths. Can you do that? For just like two minutes. I'll look for a way out, you just focus on breathing. Alright?"

Prompto nodded, but still looked like he was a half-second away from crying. His breaths were still shaky and quick.

"You can do this, bud. I guarantee it. All you've gotta do is breathe. Just slow, calm, deep breaths. That's easy right? Just breathing." Gladio went on. "In... and out..." He breathed slowly himself as an example, deep breaths in and out, ignoring the dust scratching his nostrils and lungs.

Prompto inhaled a slow, shaky breath, squeezing his eyes shut and coughing at the end. He shook his head. "It's too dusty..." He whimpered, breathing in a small, trembling breath and coughing again. "I can't... I can't breathe down here..." He looked back up toward the surface, as if hoping just seeing up there would get him out of the pit, make the air cleaner, solve all of this. "I can't do it! Gladio, what if we can't get out!? It's so high up... What are we gonna do!?"

"No. Prompto, stop..." Gladio shook his head, taking Prompto's hand in his own and looking down at him with a stern stare. "You can breathe, Prompto. Look at me..." He waited for Prompto to look back up before continuing. "In and out. Just go slow, try to ignore the dust. You can do this, kid. It's just breathing. A little scratchier than usual, but you can do this. You've been through worse things, more dangerous, painful things. This should be easy. It's just taking breaths. Even you can manage breathing, right?" He offered a small smile and a nod, hoping to make Prompto feel a little more at ease.

"Maybe..." Prompto whispered, his voice still shaky as he glanced back toward Gladio before looking back up again.

"Prompto, focus..." Gladio ordered, taking Prompto's hand in his and placing them both lightly against Prompto's chest. "Breathe in deep, slowly... take a couple seconds to make sure it's all reaching your lungs... then exhale just as slowly... Try it..."

Prompto swallowed, closed his eyes, and nodded, inhaling a slow, shaky breath, then letting it go.

"Good. Just keep doing that. Go again." Gladio requested.

Keeping his eyes closed, Prompto did as Gladio asked, breathing slow, yet still shaky breaths. He was calming down at least - slowly but surely. The boy continued following Gladio's advice as his breaths slowly became less shaky, more even and controlled. Then he blinked his eyes open and stared at Gladio. "I think I'm okay now..." He whispered.

"See? You got this." Gladio smiled. "Just keep doing what you're doing. Focus on breathing. Don't worry about anything else. You might not be a pro at a lot of things, but if there's one thing I think you've mastered, it's breathing. Right? You can handle just making sure you keep breathing."

"I guess I could maybe manage that..." Prompto laughed softly. He closed his eyes and intook a deeper breath, slow, still a bit shaky, but definitely less panicked, then exhaled. Blinking his eyes back open with a small smile, he nodded. "You're right... I think I can handle this... Thanks, Gladio."

"No problem..." Gladio stood back up. "Hang tight for a minute and I'll see if I can find a way back up." Gladio suggested. "Keep on breathing, slow and steady..." He suggested as he looked around the small space. "Seems like a pretty straight shot down here, but we might be able to scale the wall if I can find some good hand holds. Some rocks that are embedded securely enough..."

"I don't think I can climb up a wall right now, Gladio…" Prompto breathed, still keeping his eyes closed, seemingly focusing on his breaths as Gladio had suggested.

"We'll manage. We'll do what we have to." Gladio disagreed. "Now's not the time to doubt yourself, Prompto. We're getting out of here."

"I really don't think I can though... I'm dizzy and my arm hurts... I don't think I can climb back up..." Prompto paused sniffing softly. "Don't leave me down here, Gladio… Please don't leave me by myself..."

Gladio frowned, glancing back down toward Prompto, who wore a pout and furrowed eyebrows, though his eyes were still closed. He looked so worried, like he genuinely thought Gladio might just leave him here if he couldn't get back up on his own.

"We're both getting out, or neither of us is. We're in this together. I'll carry you if I have to, Prompto." Gladio offered. "I wouldn't leave you here… Don't worry about that. Just try to stay awake for a couple minutes while I look for a way out. Don't worry about anything but breathing and staying awake, okay?"

Prompto nodded quietly. "Um hm…" He agreed.

Gladio frowned and looked around the walls of the small pit they were at the bottom of. There really wasn't much space - no tunnels leading out… No roots or large rocks to use as hand holds to climb up.

"Iggy? Noct? You guys find anything up there?" Gladio yelled up to Noctis and Ignis. "Doesn't look great from down here! There's not really anything to hold onto. The walls are pretty steep and crumbling, unsteady."

"We may have to go back for a rope!" Ignis yelled back. "It seems like it's pretty much a straight shot down. No way to climb in or out."

Prompto groaned softly. "There's not a way out?" He whimpered, staring at Gladio with wide, frightened eyes.

"There's a way out." Gladio fought the urge to roll his eyes at the fact that Prompto only seemed to be hearing half of the conversation and was jumping to conclusions. "Just a bit more complicated than I'd hoped. We're getting outta here, Prompto. Don't start freaking out. We're gonna be fine."

"We've got one back where we camped. I'd estimate an hour there and an hour back. Think you two can hold on that long?" Ignis called down.

"Yep. We'll be fine." Gladio called back, not letting on that he was actually a bit uncertain of that claim. "Just… try to get out and back as quick as you can. This tunnel's clearly unstable. I don't want to be down here any longer than we have to be."

What if Prompto had a serious head injury? What if he passed out again and didn't wake back up? He was dizzy enough that he could barely stand… Two hours was a long time for such a potentially serious injury to be left in Gladio's hands. Ignis was much better suited for it… But Ignis wasn't down here. Gladio was. The sooner Ignis and Noct went back for the rope, the sooner they'd get back.

"Alright. We'll try to hurry." Ignis called down. "I'm tossing you down a bottle of water. Ready?"

"Yep!" Gladio called back, waiting and catching the bottle when Ignis tossed it down. "Thanks!"

"We'll go as fast as we can… Might bring that jacket back for you, Prompto. How's that sound?" Ignis called down.

"I guess I'd wear it… Be careful!" Prompto called up to them. "There's a lotta weird shit up there in that tunnel."

Gladio heard both Noctis and Ignis laugh softly from up above them.

"Hang tight, Prompto. We'll be right back!" Noctis promised. "We'll be careful… and we'll watch for weird shit."

Gladio shook his head slightly, closing his eyes and exhaling before kneeling down in front of Prompto and starting to look him over with more scrutiny. There was no way for them to get out of this for now, so there was plenty of time to be thorough about it.

The light pinned to Gladio's shirt allowed him to see Prompto's injuries up close pretty clearly. The cut on his forehead was probably the best clue he was going to get as to why Prompto felt dizzy. He probably hit his head pretty hard on the way down and might likely have a concussion.

Prompto squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head with a soft groan and a frown as Gladio's light shined toward his face. "Gladio, what are you doing?" He whined.

"Trying to see if you're hurt." Gladio answered. "I mean, I know you are, but trying to find out how, and where, to make sure it's nothing serious…"

"Just ask me then… You don't have to blind me." Prompto pouted.

"Alright…" Gladio crossed his arms over his chest and moved back slightly. "Where are you hurt?" He wasn't confident Prompto was coherent enough to accurately answer that question. Even just getting the kid to breathe on his own without hyperventilating had been a chore.

Prompto stared back at him with a frown. "Um…"

Rolling his eyes slightly, Gladio leaned back down, squatting close. "You hit your head here." He noted, lightly touching near the injury with his fingertips. "Do you remember hitting it anywhere else? Do you feel pain in the back?" He reached behind the boy's head, feeling carefully in his hair for blood or an obvious bump.

"I don't think so…" Prompto whispered, staring with wide eyes back at Gladio. "Am I like… seriously injured… like in a big way? Did I hit my head really hard?" He gasped.

Gladio shook his head. "I don't think it's serious, kid… You did hit your head, obviously… You were passed out on the ground for about a minute, and you're dizzy now… Your forehead's bleeding."

"It is?" Prompto reached up, touching the injury with his fingertips and hissing out a sharp breath. He brought his fingers down in front of his face and stuck his lower lip out in a pout.

"It's not bad." Gladio promised, even though he wasn't really sure how hard Prompto may have hit his head on the way down. The injury didn't look bad on the outside, but how could Gladio be sure? He wasn't a doctor… He had a bit of medical training, but not enough to feel entirely confident he could know Prompto wasn't injured in a way that was serious.

Prompto frowned, looking up toward the tunnel they'd fallen down from. "We both fell all that way?" He asked, still hugging his hurt wrist against his chest.

"Yep." Gladio exhaled, sitting down next to Prompto, resting his back against the wall. "Can I see your wrist?" He nodded toward it.

Prompto frowned, looking down at his wrist and rotating it slowly. "I think it's okay… Just hurts a little… It hurt a lot worse a minute ago. It's already starting to feel more normal."

"It's probably fine then… But I could look if you want." Gladio offered.

Prompto blinked a few times, then held his arm out toward his friend. "Be careful…" He whispered.

Gladio smiled slightly. "I will." He promised, taking Prompto's hand lightly in his own and running his finger tips up over the boy's arm. Prompto was so small compared to him. His wrist was tiny. His whole forearm and hand felt so fragile in Gladio's grip, but it didn't look disfigured. It wasn't swelling or bruising.

"Do you think it's broken?" Prompto blinked, his eyes huge, worried.

Gladio shook his head, letting go of Prompto's arm and offering him a comforting smile. "I don't think so… I think your main concern is that you hit your head. We'll have to make sure you're able to get up and walk a little before we let you sleep or anything. If you have a concussion, you're supposed to rest, but only if you're not still disoriented and confused. If you can't manage to stand up without falling, I think sleep's gonna be a no-go."

"Really?" Prompto stared.

"Yeah." Gladio nodded. "You worried me earlier when you got dizzy right away after standing up… If you can't take a couple steps without getting dizzy, I think sleeping could be dangerous…"

Prompto's eyes widened as he reached up toward the cut on his forehead again. "Did I hit my head hard then? Like, really, really hard? Do you think I might not wake back up once I go to sleep?"

"I think you'll be fine, Prompto." Gladio promised. "You were really confused right when you woke up, and you were dizzy… but maybe it's because you'd just woken back up. It was a hard fall, and you were still reeling from the initial shock of it. I don't think you're seriously hurt, but we're going to be careful about this just in case. We'll try to stand up and walk a bit again in a minute, see if your dizziness goes away. How about you take a drink and just breathe in and out for a couple minutes first." He suggested.

"Okay." Prompto nodded, taking the bottle of water Ignis had tossed down and drinking a rather large gulp from it. "Then I can take a nap down here and wait for Iggy and Noct to get back?"

Gladio frowned. "You said you didn't even want to rest in here tonight. Why are you so tired all of a sudden?"

Prompto laughed softly. "I've been tired all day. I just wanted out of here… Now we're in here even deeper. Probably gonna get eaten by something absolutely horrible. If the monsters up there are any indication, what's down here even further underground's probably something like a giant worm with poison teeth or something equally nightmarish."

"That's imaginative." Gladio laughed.

"I hope it's just my imagination. You never know at this point. Seems every day something scary as hell happens… Today it's falling down into a giant bottomless pit-" Prompto started.

"It clearly has a bottom." Gladio smirked.

"Yeah, seven hundred yards down…" Prompto grumbled. "And we'll be in here until tomorrow morning, at which point the next day's horror plot twist will arrive - giant poison-teeth monster worms, I'm sure."

Gladio shook his head. He was glad to hear Prompto talking so much, just like normal, chattering away, no longer seeming so confused and disoriented. He wasn't acting like he was actively struggling just to breathe. He was much more like his usual self now. The initial confusion and dizziness was probably just because he'd just woken back up and was still somewhat dazed. If he did have a concussion, it likely wasn't as bad as Gladio initially feared.

They'd just have to wait now… For a long, tedious two hours… but at least Prompto seemed like he was going to be okay.

xxxxxx


	3. Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

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Prompto tried to keep himself from visibly shivering as he leaned against Gladio's arm, looking up toward the tunnel they had been walking through before falling down here. It looked so painfully far up, like so far he was kind of starting to worry whatever rope Ignis was going back for might not be long enough… that they might be stuck down here forever.

He wondered what they'd do if they really did get stuck down here - if the rope wasn't long enough - or if Ignis and Noct just never came back. Maybe they'd get killed by a monster on the way, or maybe they'd just weigh their options and decide Gladio and Prompto weren't worth all this extra work. Maybe Gladio was... Prompto wasn't. He would just screw up again in a few days, fall down somewhere else, get dragged off into a monster den or something, waste everyone's time again and again.

Noct and Iggy were probably debating it right now - even if only silently in their own heads: Was Prompto worth all this? Would this be a good opportunity to just get him out of their hair? Was leaving both of them down in this pit actually a good idea? Was losing Gladio, who was helpful, a decent trade for finally having an excuse to get rid of Prompto?

He wondered if they'd die slowly if Noct and Iggy didn't come back - or if a monster would get them pretty soon - or if the tunnel would cave in more and crush them to death - or worse - suffocate them. Maybe Gladio would just kill Prompto quickly so he wouldn't have to suffer as long if they were stuck down here for the rest of their short lives.

Prompto swallowed. Gladio probably would do that if he felt like it was that, or a slow, painful death. It would be heroic, in a way - to cut Prompto's suffering short... to make him die quickly instead of slowly... But Prompto really hoped it didn't come to that. Probably the fact that Gladio was down here too ensured Noct and Iggy would indeed come back if they were able to. Unless the two got attacked and killed on the way, Gladio and Prompto weren't going to be stuck down here forever... and even if Prompto was a liability, Noct and Iggy wouldn't really just leave him to die... He was annoying and accident-prone, but they wouldn't just leave him... Right?

Frowning, Prompto glanced toward Gladio, wondering what the older man was thinking - if he was annoyed as hell with Prompto for screwing everything up, for dragging Gladio down with him. If Prompto would have just fallen by himself, not grabbed out toward Gladio, they could have all just gone on without him. Gladio was very useful, Noct and Iggy probably really did want to retrieve him. But if it was just Prompto down here, maybe they wouldn't bother. They might have felt kind of bad about it, but at the same time recognized that it was Prompto's own fault that he fell and that it wasn't worth spending the time, effort, and risk to retrieve him. He wouldn't really blame them so much. He understood he wasn't like the others. He wasn't as capable, as necessary...

Prompto exhaled a small breath and closed his eyes. He needed to pull his mind back away from this self-loathing thing he always did. Noct was his friend... maybe the only friend he'd had in his whole life. Noctis was a good person. He wouldn't leave Prompto to die. Not if he could help it. Even if Prompto was useless, Noctis was a good enough person that he would save him anyway.

Focusing back on the present, on the situation he was currently in, and not on what-ifs and self-doubts, Prompto blinked a few times and stared at the dirt wall ahead of him. At least for the moment, they seemed relatively safe. The tunnel wasn't collapsing any more. There weren't any growling monsters nearby. Sure, they were stuck in a small hole with no way out, but they weren't actively being buried or attacked. Noctis and Ignis were working on a solution. The situation had lots of ways it could have been worse.

They were stuck, but relatively uninjured, relatively safe for the moment. All they had to do was wait, and they'd already waited a little bit, so even that was partway over. They were only going to get closer and closer to a solution from here. And Gladio seemed confident enough. He seemed to have this under as much of his control as possible. He'd know what to do if anything further arose. At least Prompto wasn't alone.

After taking a few minutes for Prompto to breathe and calm down after Ignis and Noctis left, Gladio had suggested that the younger man try to stand up and walk around a bit in the small space they were presently confined to, to make sure he wasn't disoriented. Something about a possible concussion. Fortunately, he was able to do so just like normal, more or less. He wasn't dizzy anymore. Not significantly. He just felt kind of nauseated and his head hurt - but that was to be expected after knocking his forehead against whatever he'd hit on the way down here.

After getting the okay from Gladio to close his eyes and try to sleep, Prompto had leaned against the older man's arm and gave it a try, but couldn't bring himself to actually keep his eyes closed for long. As tired as he was, the conditions for peaceful sleep just weren't here.

He was nervous… There really could be dangerous monsters down here, and now that Noct and Iggy had gone back for supplies to help get them out, there were only two out of the regular four people who usually helped fight any monsters they encountered. And Prompto wouldn't be any help if he was asleep, which would leave only one of the four available to fight. It didn't sound safe to let himself sleep - for himself or for Gladio. If something dangerous showed up, he didn't want Gladio to be on his own.

There was also still the risk that the tunnel would collapse completely. Being awake wasn't going to keep him from being crushed to death under rocks and dirt... but the thought of it sure as hell didn't put his mind at ease. How could he go to sleep wondering if he was going to be buried alive while he was out? No one could protect him from it if that happened. If the pit decided to cave in completely and bury them, they were screwed. Not even Gladio could fix that.

"You still awake?" Gladio leaned forward a bit to see Prompto's face.

Prompto nodded, forcing a small smile as he locked eyes with Gladio. "Yeah." He whispered. "This place is kinda scary…" He admitted with a breathless laugh.

"Yeah." Gladio agreed. "I'll keep watch though. You can go ahead and sleep. I know you're exhausted, and we're just waiting anyway…"

"What if something comes down here though? With just you awake… What if-" Prompto started.

"Don't worry about me." Gladio assured him. "Most monsters aren't going to want to bother coming down here knowing the probably can't get back up... and if something does, I'll handle it. I've got it under control, and I could always wake you up if I need help. Right?"

Prompto frowned and looked down. He didn't feel confident he could really fight right now. Even if Gladio truly did need his help, Prompto probably wouldn't be able to do as well as he usually could. His wrist hurt, he was extremely on-edge, a little nauseated still... He probably wouldn't be able to focus that well on a fight at the moment. What if Gladio did need him? And Prompto was incapable of helping...

"Stop worrying, Prompto. I realize you're probably not in the best shape to fight right now. We very likely won't even have to... and if we do, I'll take care of it. I've got this. Just worry about yourself for now, alright? We're gonna be fine." Gladio promised, almost as though he could read Prompto's thoughts.

"I hope so..." Prompto whispered, shrinking down slightly when he felt like the air around him was getting quickly thicker, cloudier, maybe dirtier. "Gladio... Is it just me… or is it getting dustier in here?" Prompto wrinkled his nose, looking up with narrowed eyes and a grimace as fresh grains of dirt and debris settled around them. He could feel it landing in his hair, bouncing lightly off his shoulders, his chest...

It had all pretty much cleared up ten or twenty minutes ago… The air was easier to breathe, it was easier to see. It just seemed like they were in a hole instead of in a dust storm… but not anymore. Things were getting a little dusty again, like more of the tunnel walls were crumbling. Prompto felt himself flinch slightly as he felt a few tiny pebbles lightly hit and bounce off his shoulders.

Gladio frowned as well as he looked up. "Sometimes after a big collapse like that there's more that gradually comes down… Like after an avalanche."

"Like after a what!?" Prompto looked up again, cowering down. "Are we gonna get buried alive down here?!"

"No. I mean, probably not… The ground's just settling a bit." Gladio noted, but he looked genuinely nervous as he stared up the tunnel.

"Oh my god…" Prompto exhaled, bringing his arms close to his chest, grabbing one hand in the other and shrinking down as he felt what seemed like more and more debris raining down on them. Was the pit collapsing in on itself? How could they know exactly how much the ground was going to decide to settle? Prompto felt his lip tremble as he narrowed his eyes, hoping to keep the dust out as he shrunk down fearfully. "I knew this was gonna happen! I was just thinking about this! The whole thing's gonna collapse. There's nothing we can do! Oh my god... Gladio..." He whimpered.

"Don't panic…" Gladio spoke, his voice low and serious as he put a hand on Prompto's shoulder and looked up.

Prompto stuck his lower lip out in a pout, cowering down and letting out a small, shaky noise that was almost a sob. How cruel fate was that this was going to be how he died... He made it so far, had dealt with so much bullshit in his life, just to have it all end here, in a damn hole in a cave he hadn't ever wanted to go into in the first place. He survived falling all the way down here, after hitting his head, his arm, every other square inch of his body, being knocked out... He made it through all of that... and he was going to die at the bottom of this hole anyway.

"Prompto, stop panicking. Take a breath and calm down..." Gladio growled, glancing down at him for a moment before looking back up with narrowed eyes and a grimace. "Probably won't be that much... Just a little bit more dirt and small stones. Don't freak out. The tunnel's unstable, but that doesn't mean the whole thing's coming down. Probably just as much stuff as before, and we're not falling this time. It won't be as bad. Just breathe. Take a breath and calm down."

Shaking his head, Prompto squeezed his eyes shut. "I can't take a breath! The air's full of dust!" He choked. "I don't wanna get buried… I don't wanna be down here anymore… I'm scared! I don't wanna die down here, Gladio! I don't wanna get buried... Gladio, we're gonna get buried alive! What do we do?" Prompto whimpered.

"Calm down to start…" Gladio demanded. "It's probably not gonna be as big of a thing as you're thinking… We'll live. We fell all the way down here and made it. We're not dying now. This isn't gonna be how we go. I refuse to let it."

Prompto let out a soft, shaky, almost tearful laugh. It didn't seem like a collapsing hole in the ground was gonna give a shit if Gladio was feeling angry or stubborn. He looked up again, as the size and amount of the dirt and stones falling seemed to be increasing.

Letting out a shaking whimper and cowering down, Prompto squeezed his eyes shut, covering his head with his arms. It took only a few seconds before he felt Gladio wrap his arm around Prompto's back and pull him against his chest, holding onto him securely as more dirt and pebbles tumbled down, landing all around them, but no longer hitting Prompto so much.

Prompto let out a small breath as he felt Gladio's arm tighten around him, holding onto him securely, with definite strength in the gesture, but gentleness too. The older man didn't say anything, didn't explain what he was doing, didn't try to make any more promises he couldn't keep. He just held Prompto close, letting any debris that fell hit his own back instead.

Even though the fear of being buried was still there, for a moment, Prompto felt fairly safe. Maybe Gladio couldn't solve everything, but damn it the man was going to do whatever he could to try. Even the walls falling down around them - Gladio was willing to put himself second to protect Prompto first.

Prompto kept his eyes closed, feeling himself shaking slightly as the dust started to settle once again. It was only then that Gladio backed off a bit, sitting back down next to Prompto without a word, pretty much acting like he hadn't just shielded his friend with his own actual body.

Blinking his wide eyes, Prompto stared at Gladio through the last of the settling dust. "You okay?" He asked, his words rather breathless.

"Yeah." Gladio laughed. "Wasn't that bad. I honestly thought it was gonna be worse than it was. Just a bit of dust settling, I guess. Not like a full collapse… I overreacted for a second. Here I was telling you to calm down. Then I acted like the damn world was gonna end... Sorry I grabbed you…"

Prompto shook his head. "No… Don't be sorry… Damn, Gladio. That was really cool."

"What was?" Gladio scoffed. "Me grabbing you like a lunatic? I overreacted… Sorry."

"No…" Prompto shook his head again. "Gladio, that was awesome… I for real thought I was gonna get buried or crushed with a falling boulder… You were totally shielding me with your own body. What a way to be like the best damn friend possible… Thanks, man…"

"No problem. You're already hurt…" Gladio shrugged, leaning slightly to the side and bumping Prompto's shoulder with his arm. "Wasn't a big deal."

"Wow…" Prompto breathed, feeling a very genuine smile spreading across his lips. People really hadn't often shown him much care in his life. He was mostly ignored, even by his own family. To have someone actually sacrifice their own safety, potentially cause themselves pain so that Prompto didn't get hurt was like pretty much unheard of. Gladio didn't have to do that. He could have covered his own head with his arms like Prompto was doing. They could have each just tried to keep their own self safe... But Gladio did more than protect himself. He made sure Prompto was okay too - even leaving himself open to more potential harm. He made a choice to put Prompto first. People didn't do that very often - put him first... Hardly ever.

"Don't make it a big deal, kid." Gladio forced a laugh. "Seriously… rocks and dirt were falling everywhere, you looked scared. You already hit your head. You were panicking. I didn't want you hurt worse than you already are. It's not a big deal. Iggy or Noct would'a done the same. You'd of have done the same if it were me hurt down here."

"Yeah…" Prompto nodded. That was true. He would have done the same for Gladio or any one of his friends if they were hurt and he wasn't. Prompto was kind of less brave than the others, but he did think he could probably put his fear aside to protect them if need be. He hoped so anyway.

"Hopefully that was the last of everything settling." Gladio shrugged.

"Yeah." Prompto agreed, leaning his head against Gladio's shoulder again.

"You still doing okay?" Gladio glanced down at him. "I know I tried to shield you from most of that... Nothing big hit you, did it?"

Prompto shook his head. "No. You kept it all from hitting me..."

"Good." Gladio nodded. "Nothing big hit me either, so sounds like we're still doing okay. Wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. I know this isn't ideal, but it could have turned out a lot worse. We're gonna get through this."

Swallowing, Prompto nodded, thinking more about that fact that he'd screwed up and gotten them into this mess in the first place. It was Prompto's fault they were down here. Even so, Gladio was taking care of him, shielding him from harm at the expense of his own safety.

"Sorry I got us stuck down here…" Prompto frowned, looking over at his friend. "I guess this whole thing's kind of my fault. I appreciate you making sure I'm okay, and you're being really nice... but I screwed up, and it's my fault we're stuck down here... I didn't mean to... I'm really sorry, Gladio. I'm always messing things up."

"Don't be sorry. You didn't make the floor collapse. This kind of stuff happens sometimes out in the wild. Dirt tunnels in caves and mines and dungeons like this aren't like the hallways and elevators in the city. It's not as sure a thing." Gladio shrugged.

"I didn't have to go back to try to get that… whatever it was… I should have stayed on track and just followed Noct and Iggy. We were doing fine until I turned back." Prompto frowned. "And I didn't even get the thing… That shiny stone… Whatever it was. I didn't even get it."

"It's probably down here somewhere." Gladio laughed, looking around the pit with a small shrug. "Don't blame yourself for this, kid. I'm not mad. We all go out of the way to collect stuff we find like that. Remember when Iggy made us cross that river to get those wild onions?"

Prompto let out a small laugh. "Yeah. We were all soaked for the rest of the day, and the onions were tiny."

Gladio wrapped his arm around Prompto's shoulders and pulled him closer. "Try to get some sleep, kid. We'll be outta here before you know it."

Prompto looked up toward the top of the pit again, feeling himself shiver slightly, trying to hold it all in so he wouldn't appear weaker than he probably already looked. Why did he always have to be the one to get hurt? To be cold, but too dumb to bring a jacket like a normal adult person? He was starting to feel even more useless than normal. He wondered if everyone else saw him like that too - as someone who was more of a liability than an asset. Did he need to be saved more often than he actually helped anyone? Was he making things harder for everyone? Was having him here at all worth it to the rest of them?

"You still cold, Prompto?" Gladio frowned.

"I'm fine." Prompto forced a laugh, hearing his voice shake slightly. He really was cold. Cold enough that his shivering was actually affecting his voice.

"Here…" Gladio started shrugging out of his jacket.

Prompto shook his head. "No… You don't have to do that, Gladio. I'm okay." He'd already gotten the older man stuck in a damn hole. Gladio shielded Prompto with his own body so he wouldn't get hit with falling debris. Now he was going to give up warmth so Prompto wouldn't be cold? How much was everyone in the group going to sacrifice just because Prompto was here? Just because he was accident-prone, irresponsible, a liability...

"You're shaking." Gladio frowned, draping his jacket over Prompto's shoulders and pulling it close around his arms. "You need it more than I do right now. I don't mind."

"You sure?" Prompto whispered, feeling the start of tears in his eyes. He felt guilty for being so needy, so weak. "I should'a brought one… It's my own fault. I really don't mind being kinda cold. This is your jacket. You weren't dumb enough to come out here without one. I was. I should have to live with the consequences-"

"Prompto, stop. I don't mind. I'm not even cold. You clearly are." Gladio put his arm back around Prompto's shoulders, rubbing his hand up and down Prompto's arm, warming him up. "Don't be so hard on yourself, kid."

"Thanks, Gladio." Prompto closed his eyes and smiled. "You're giving Iggy a run for his money."

"What do you mean?" Gladio asked.

"Well, he takes care of everyone like a mom… and you're kinda doing the same thing right now." Prompto laughed. "Might have to start calling you Mama Gladio."

"You better not." Gladio shot back.

Prompto laughed, looking up and considering Gladio's face. The man could be pretty blunt sometimes, even kind of mean, but he definitely had a kind heart underneath. Prompto had had so few genuine friendships in his life - consistent people who actually cared about him. Gladio was definitely one of those few.

"Thanks, Gladio." Prompto laid his head back down against Gladio's shoulder and closed his eyes again.

"Glad I could help." Gladio laughed softly, tightening his secure, comforting grip around Prompto's shoulders. "Get some sleep… We've got a long climb up once Ignis gets back with that rope."

"Yeah." Prompto breathed. "Remember you promised you'd carry me… So…"

"I said I would if I had to." Gladio frowned.

"Well, you might have to. I'm exhausted and my arm still hurts." Prompto reminded him.

Gladio shook his head and laughed.

"Seriously though, Gladio…" Prompto frowned, looking back up at Gladio's face again. "If I can't do it, will you help me? My wrist does kinda hurt still, and… I mean, I can probably do it… I'll definitely try, and I'm sure I can... but-"

"If you can't, I'll help you." Gladio promised. "I wasn't kidding when I offered to carry you. Not just gonna do it if you're feeling lazy, but I'm more than happy to help you if you need it. That goes for now, later… Any time. We're all here to support each other. I got your back."

"Thanks, Gladio. I've got yours too… as much as I can. I know I'm not always the strongest or most observant…" Prompto shrugged. "I need to be saved more often than I save anyone else back… Man, sometimes I feel like I'm more trouble than I am helpful, but I try."

"You do your share." Gladio assured him. "I'm not gonna lie and claim you're some kinda hardened warrior. You're kinda new to this, and I get it, but you're improving. You've called attention to enemies getting too close when no one else noticed. You saved my ass that one day when I wasn't paying attention and you shot down that giant wasp thing that was headed right at me... You're getting there, bud. Considering your lack of experience, you're doing alright. Your photos alone are enough to make my day sometimes."

"Really?" Prompto laughed, feeling his eyelids growing heavy. He was so tired, and now that he was starting to feel genuinely safe with Gladio's arm protectively around his shoulders, he was able to sort of relax, to let his guard down.

"Sure. You get some pretty cool shots… and pretty funny ones too. You might not be taking monsters down like a beast or being everybody's hero all the time, but you keep our spirits up for sure. That's worth a lot." Gladio went on.

Prompto yawned, settling down further against Gladio, feeling the world around him growing more fuzzy as sleep edged against his mind. "You really think so?" He wondered in a small voice. It was so easy for him to start to wonder if he wasn't doing enough within the group. Gladio was so strong. Ignis took care of everyone. Noctis was really good at fighting. Prompto always felt like he was just kind of running around aimlessly, trying his best, but completely out of his element, maybe sometimes in the way even.

"Yeah." Gladio laughed. "You really lighten things up. Noct and I would'a killed each other by now if you weren't around."

Prompto laughed softly. "Yeah. That's probably true." He agreed, letting himself lean fully against the other man as his consciousness slowly faded into dreams.

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	4. Chapter 4

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Chapter 4

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With a tired exhale, Gladio stared up toward the top of the pit he and Prompto were presently way down at the bottom of. He knew it couldn't possibly be the case, but each time he looked up toward the top, he could swear they were even further down than before. He so desperately wanted to get frustrated and impatient and just climb out on his own... but he knew he couldn't, especially not with Prompto here too.

Even if by some miracle Gladio could scale the crumbly dirt wall, unless Prompto could manage too, it wouldn't do any good. Gladio doubted he could manage at all, much less while dragging Prompto up with him, and he wasn't about to leave the boy behind - not even for an hour or so. They were sticking this through together.

Leaning his head back against the wall, Gladio closed his eyes. This whole detour had made an already impossibly long day so much longer. Even with Ignis and Noct on their way back with the rope, Gladio couldn't stop wondering what else might go wrong.

For starters, the dirt walls of the hole they were in weren't stable. They'd already started to crumble more after the initial cave-in. It wasn't far-fetched to imagine that they might collapse even more - burying him and Prompto alive. That's what made attempting to climb up the steep walls so dangerous. If they didn't make it to the top and only loosened the dirt and stones further, it could end up doing much more harm than good. Even if a potential collapse wouldn't bury them, it could hurt or even kill them if a large enough rock struck them. They definitely weren't out of danger just because they'd survived this long.

Frowning, Gladio glanced down next to him, where Prompto was asleep, leaning against his shoulder, still hugging his injured wrist protectively against his chest. His lower lip was stuck out in a slight pout and his eyebrows were furrowed with worry, but he was definitely asleep. It had taken the kid a while to finally relax enough to let sleep take over. He was jumpy, nervous, even shivering earlier... But Gladio had done his best to reassure the younger man that he was safe, to convince him to let himself relax and get some rest.

The boy looked so vulnerable now, almost pathetic with the crusted blood running down the side of his forehead, his lip cut and bruised. He was snuggled closely up against Gladio's arm, practically buried under Gladio's jacket - which was way too big for his small frame. While he was asleep, finally quiet, not fidgeting or squirming, just lying still and silent with his eyes closed and his lip stuck out in a little pout, he looked painfully young and vulnerable. Prompto always managed to get hurt somehow, and he always looked so sad when it happened.

The poor kid was needlessly on-edge even under the best of circumstances. Falling into this pit had been clearly traumatizing for him. He was practically crying earlier, definitely panicking when the dirt and stones started crumbling down again. Gladio wasn't usually the one to have to deal with this. Actually, usually none of them did. They just let Prompto be jumpy, laughed it off, moved on... This time the boy was right to be fearful. They truly were in danger, and Prompto was legitimately hurt, with no first aide supplies or medical treatment in sight.

Of course Prompto would be the one to step in the wrong place and end up down in a pit. He was quite accident-prone. This time, he happened to take Gladio with him. It was good that he wasn't alone though. Gladio would rather one of them be stuck down here with him than the alternative. He just wasn't sure he was the one best-suited for it.

Gladio was doing his best to stay externally calm, mostly for Prompto's sake, but he was nervous too. He was far less certain than usual that things were going to work out favorably. Usually Prompto over-reacted and was jumpy about everything. This time his fears were actually valid. The pit really could cave in completely. There really could be some sort of strange monsters down here, and if something did come and attack them, there wasn't much room to fight back...

Gladio's area of expertise was physical strength. He could fight off a monster if it was threatening one of his friends, lift something heavy to free someone who was trapped under or behind it it. If anyone needed a boulder shoved to the side, a locked door broken down, an enemy defended against… Gladio was the guy for it. But this… he didn't know what to do with this...

Sitting, waiting, offering emotional comfort, examining head injuries, deciding if someone should be allowed to sleep with a possible concussion… It wasn't his forte. He didn't know how to do it right. It made him feel trapped, useless… to be down here with Prompto, wanting to make sure he was alright, but not really being able to do anything real to ensure it. He couldn't make sure the kid didn't have a concussion. He couldn't x-ray his arm and be sure his wrist wasn't broken. He couldn't pick the boy up and toss him back up into the tunnel where they'd started and fix it all just by being strong. He could only sit here and wait.

Glancing toward Prompto again, Gladio reached out, carefully taking the boy's wrist in his hand and narrowing his eyes down at it. It seemed relatively uninjured from the outside, though there was a bit of a bruise forming on it as time passed. Gladio hoped that's all the injury was - a superficial bruise - not anything broken or bleeding inside. It may have been slightly swollen, but not enough that Gladio could even be sure. Again, this wasn't his area of expertise.

Gently pressing the boy's arm back up toward his chest where he had been holding it, Gladio exhaled. When he had first been told Prompto was going to accompany them on this quest, he was annoyed. Gladio's mission was to protect Noctis, another reckless twenty-year old who never took anything seriously and charged into battles and other dangerous situations like he was invincible. Adding his equally reckless, far-less-trained friend into the mix sounded like it was going to be a huge additional burden. Prompto was all over the place, skittish, overly talkative, sometimes clumsy. At first, Gladio was certain this was going to be more of a babysitting gig than anything else - that Prompto would be far more trouble than he was worth.

Even back in the Crown City, Prompto somehow managed to get hurt all the time without any danger present whatsoever. He'd fall down stairs, step off curbs without looking and twist his ankle. Nearly walked into traffic one day while turned around talking to Noctis as he stepped into the street. Gladio had had to grab his arm and yank him back - nearly dislocating the boy's shoulder, but receiving a grateful thank you and even a breathless hug. The kid was such a clusterfuck sometimes…

But he really had trained hard to get ready for this quest, and wasn't half bad at fighting at this point. A majority of the time, he kept himself safe without having to be babysat. He even watched the others' backs, warning of enemies getting close, shooting down monsters sneaking up on them. Gladio hadn't thought it was possible that the boy could be so observant and legitimately useful, but Prompto managed it. He was actually an asset at this point.

He wasn't perfect. He still got hurt more than the others. He was still jumpy, nervous, would complain, whine, grumble and get scared of things that weren't a big deal at all... But more often than not, he was helpful. Things around camp were easier because of him, more fun. There was more laughter than there'd be if he weren't here. Battles were easier. Prompto could shoot things before they even got close. His aim was impressive considering how often he seemed positively clumsy and chaotic. He noticed details more than it had seemed he would. For someone who so often lost his footing, fell down, or otherwise got himself hurt, he did pretty well paying attention when it mattered.

He pulled his weight, watched the others' backs. His light hearted attitude was a huge plus too. A well-timed joke or sarcastic comment from the kid had saved the group from quite a few tense moments that were very close to turning into arguments. Physical strength, defense, bravery... it was all worth a lot, but so were the smaller things. The ability to stay positive and upbeat in stressful moments, noticing tiny details, pointing things out that Gladio wouldn't have noticed. Even just the fact that the kid would offer to do small things like help Ignis go shopping or help set up the tent... Prompto had ended up being a lot more useful than Gladio had initially guessed he'd be. He did more right than he did wrong. He helped more than he screwed up. Gladio was glad the boy was here with them.

There were some things about Prompto that just couldn't be changed. He was small, physically weaker. No amount of training was going to have him lifting boulders or knocking down trees… but damn it, the kid had come far. Gladio probably wouldn't ever say it to his face, as he wasn't one to get emotional and mushy with his friends, but he was actually proud of Prompto. Glad the boy was here. Not in this exact moment, of course. He wished neither of them were here in this pit, but on the quest in general, Prompto had pulled his weight much more than Gladio originally guessed he would.

Gladio turned back toward his young friend, leaning forward slightly and narrowing his eyes as he took in the injury to Prompto's forehead again. Raising his fingertips up toward Prompto's head, Gladio pushed some of the boy's hair out of the way to see the cut better.

It had stopped bleeding by this point. There was quite a bit of crusted blood that had dripped down - most of it collected in Prompto's eyebrow, but a small stream had managed to run down the side of his face, over his jaw and neck, and down into his shirt. Prompto would have definitely panicked if he had seen the amount of blood. It wasn't a lot, but to Prompto it would have been.

There was a bruise starting to form around the cut as well. A small bruise had come up on the side of Prompto's lip too, along with the tiny cut he'd noticed there earlier. Prompto's lips were turned down at the corners into a pouty frown. Even in sleep he wasn't peaceful at the moment.

Still staring with a frown at his young friend, Gladio noticed the faint marks of tears that had created clear trails through the dust on Prompto's cheeks. The poor kid was so scared of everything… Gladio didn't blame him on this one. Even as he did his best to remain calm and appear unafraid on the outside, Gladio was scared too. The pit they were in was deep, unstable... It could collapse further. A monster of some sort could find them... Maybe something would go wrong with Noct and Ignis. They certainly weren't anywhere near out of trouble just yet.

Prompto suddenly flinched, breathing a sharp breath and shrinking down as he blinked his eyes open. The jacket Gladio had wrapped around his shoulders earlier fell down one of his arms as he looked up with a small groan.

"We're still down here?" He whimpered.

"Where else would we be?" Gladio forced a laugh, reaching down toward the jacket and pulling it back up Prompto's arm. "This might fit you better if you put your arms through the sleeves." He noted.

Prompto ignored his critique and stuck his lower lip out as he continued staring up. "I was kinda hoping it was all a dream… How long has it been?" He wondered, looking back at Gladio with wide eyes.

Gladio shrugged. "Maybe an hour or so… We've got a little while to wait still, but the longer we're down here, the closer we are to getting out. Just be patient. They're coming back. And knowing Ignis, he probably overestimated the time needed to get there and back and is moving faster than he should... They might even get back sooner than they said."

"I hope nothing happened to them…" Prompto whispered. "We're supposed to help protect them. There's only two of them now… They don't have us to back them up…"

Gladio frowned. That was true. Normally there were four people, each watching each other's backs. Four chances to notice something dangerous. Four chances to defeat foes or protect each other. Ignis and Noct were on their own right now, possibly in an even more dangerous situation than Prompto and Gladio.

Shaking his head, Gladio chose not to think about it. At the moment, he couldn't do anything for Noct or Iggy. He could protect Prompto and he could protect himself. For now, that was all he could do. There was no point dwelling on the things that were out of his control.

So he looked back at Prompto, focusing on him for the time being - the only person he presently was in the position to keep safe. "You still feeling okay, bud?" He asked.

Prompto shrugged one shoulder. "I guess… I mean, we fell a million miles down… and I think I hit every square inch of the rock-encrusted walls on the way… but, all things considered... I'm alive. I'm not panicked out of my mind anymore... I can breathe without instructions." He laughed nervously.

Gladio rolled his eyes. "You're not dizzy or feeling sick at all?"

"Not really… What about you?" Prompto wondered, staring up with a frown. "I don't think you ever answered me when I asked if you were okay right after we first fell down here… If you did, I didn't hear it... I guess I was like two seconds from passing out. And then freaking out hyperventilating after that. I guess I hardly even asked if you were alright..." He narrowed his eyes. "Are you hurt at all?"

Gladio let out a small laugh and smiled. "I'm fine, kid… Thanks, though."

"Surely you hit something pretty hard on the way down too… You've got scrapes all over your arms." Prompto pouted. "You're human, Gladio. Falling down into a pit full of jagged rocks is supposed to hurt. It's like normal to get injured during something like this. It's okay to admit you're hurt…"

"I'm not." Gladio frowned, glancing down at his own forearm, turning it over slightly. He was a little scratched up and bruised, but during this quest that wasn't abnormal. Wasn't something to freak out over. "Scrapes and bruises aren't a big deal, Prompto. Hitting your head is. Let's keep the focus on that."

Prompto looked down for a moment, then looked back up with a hint of annoyance in his eyes. "You know how we're all traveling together as like a team, and we all watch each other's backs and protect and defend each other?"

"Yeah…" Gladio shrugged.

"You're included in that - not just protecting others, but being protected." Prompto stared. "Sometimes you get hurt too, and you won't ever let anyone help you, but we're here to protect you as much as the other way around. We can worry about me hitting my head and worry about you at the same time."

"I'm not hurt, Prompto." Gladio exhaled. "I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine. If you want to stick bandages on the scrapes up and down my arms later, go for it. I'm not gonna make a big deal of a couple bruises. I'm seriously not injured. Not in a way that requires anyone's concern."

Prompto breathed out a loud breath and turned his face away. "Everybody's got weaknesses. No one's invincible, Gladio. Not even you." He whispered.

Gladio frowned, staring at the younger man. It was hard to really relate to someone so much smaller than him, who needed more protection and care than he needed himself. But Prompto was right. Gladio could get hurt too. He just tried not to care when it happened, tried to shrug it off and pretend he hadn't felt it. He was definitely guilty of not taking his own injuries seriously, of prioritizing keeping others safe over making sure he was okay himself. He had so many scars from injuries he hadn't properly addressed, ones that probably needed stitches and bandaging, but which Gladio just left alone because he was too proud to admit he could have benefited from medical care. But he really wasn't hurt this time.

"Prompto… I'm fine. I promise." Gladio spoke in a lower voice, placing his hand lightly on the boy's shoulder. "You're right. I get hurt sometimes too… and everyone's got weaknesses. Mine might be that it's hard to be vulnerable - to ask for help when I need it… But I really am fine."

"You sure?" Prompto frowned, turning back toward him.

"Yes." Gladio couldn't help but to smile. "Didn't realize you gave a damn so much, kid…"

"Of course I do, Gladio." Prompto stared. "You don't get to shield someone with your own body, give them your coat when they're cold, let them lay against you and sleep... and then get mad when that person cares that you might need help sometimes too."

Gladio put his arm back around Prompto's shoulders and hugged him close. "Thanks, Prompto. I'll try to work on asking for help sometimes… It really is something that doesn't come naturally for me. You work on focusing and not falling into holes."

Prompto let out a small laugh. "You fell in too." He reminded him.

Gladio shook his head. "Yeah, to try to save you." He noted.

"Sorry." Prompto looked down.

"It's fine. I was joking. I wasn't any more careful than you were. We both just stepped in the wrong place." Gladio reminded him. "It was an accident. Accidents happen. Neither of us knew the damn tunnel was going to collapse."

Prompto nodded, looking up with a frown, then glancing back toward Gladio. "What do you think Iggy'll make back at camp?"

Gladio shrugged. "Better be something damn good after this."

"You know it will be." Prompto laughed, laying his head against Gladio's shoulder and closing his eyes.

Gladio closed his eyes as well, letting out a breath and pulling Prompto gently closer against his side. They were almost out of this mess. Before they knew it they'd be up above ground again, outside under the stars, enjoying Ignis's cooking… With a cozy camp fire, and a warm blanket in their tent… Prompto would probably be talking non-stop, laughing. Everyone would laugh. They'd earned it after all this.

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	5. Chapter 5

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Chapter 5

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"You got it, Prompto?" Gladio asked, boosting Prompto up on his shoulders, as Prompto held tight onto the rope, planted his feet securely against the dirt wall, and started the climb back up.

"Yeah." Prompto breathed, holding the rope securely in both hands, ignoring the fact that his wrist still hurt. He had to do some part of this on his own. He couldn't have everyone seeing him as completely worthless. It was bad enough that he fell down into the pit in the first place - bringing Gladio with him, costing the whole group hours of wasted time…

"Shall I pull the rope up, or would you rather attempt to climb it?" Ignis shouted down at him. "Or we can do a little of both… Just let me know so I don't catch you off-guard."

"Just…" Prompto hesitated, feeling his arms were already getting tired as he put most of his focus on keeping his feet from slipping. "Hold onto it tight… Make sure it doesn't fall. I can do the rest, I think."

"Very well." Ignis agreed.

"Don't let me fall…" Prompto whispered, painstakingly climbing up. "Please don't let me fall…" He wasn't sure if he was talking to himself, begging himself to hold tight and not screw up, or if he was talking to Ignis, pleading with the man not to lose his grip on the rope. It was just a long way back up, with lots of chances for someone to mess up and have him falling all the way back down.

He didn't intend on Ignis actually hearing the plea, but it seemed like the man had. "You're fine, Prompto. I've got it held tight." Ignis assured him.

Prompto let out a breathless laugh. He hadn't planned on Ignis actually hearing that. "Well, Gladio's coming up next. That'll be when the real challenge arises, huh?" He joked.

"We can all three hold the rope at that point." Ignis laughed back.

Prompto forced himself to laugh again as the rope stung his hands and his arms shook. He tried not to look up, to see how far he still had to go. He knew it would only be discouraging.

"You're doing great, Prompto. Halfway there. Keep it up!" Ignis called down, probably trying to be reassuring, but actually accomplishing the opposite.

"Only halfway?" Prompto groaned looking up with a pout. "Was a lot faster getting down here… Damn…"

"You've got this, kid!" Gladio promised from down below.

Once he was near enough to the top, after what felt like forever, Prompto noticed Noct was leaning down, reaching for him.

With a relieved exhale, Prompto let go of the rope with one hand and reached quickly up toward his friend. Noctis grabbed both of his arms in a firm, solid grip and pulled him up so that they both ended up on the ground, with Prompto on top of the prince.

"Sorry…" Prompto breathed, climbing off of him. "Thanks-"

He was cut off with a short breath when he felt Noctis's arms wrap around his shoulders, pulling him close, though they were both still sitting on the ground.

For a moment, Prompto froze. Part of him sort of wondered if Noctis was angry with him for screwing up, for putting the quest on hold, making everything harder than it needed to be. He hadn't expected a hug... He sort of thought he might get yelled at instead, told to watch where he was going, to stop being stupid and pay attention.

It only took him a few moments of stunned silence though, to reach up and hug his friend back, closing his eyes and resting his head on Noctis's shoulder. He was honestly pretty relieved to be out of the pit, to be up here with Noct and Iggy, to feel safe… He didn't have to make Gladio carry him, he didn't fall back down while trying to climb… He didn't screw things up any worse than they were in that initial moment of falling into the hole. He hadn't made things worse. He just screwed up the one thing. No one was mad… Everything was going to be okay.

"Prompto…" Noctis breathed, pulling back and shaking his head, likely taking in the dried blood running down the side of his friend's face, the cut on his lip, all stuff that was old news to Prompto and Gladio, but which Noct hadn't seen yet. "Are you okay?"

Prompto let out a small laugh. "Yeah… Looks worse than it is probably… Scared ya though, huh?" He exhaled, feeling a strange feeling in his chest. Was Noctis really that worried about him? Enough to hug him like he had feared he'd never see him again?

"Yeah, Prompto. You did…" Noctis laughed breathlessly. "Let's help Gladio up… Then we can get the hell out of here."

Prompto nodded, grabbing the rope behind Noctis and helping Ignis to hold it tight for Gladio to climb up. Fortunately, Ignis and Noctis were doing most of the work and it wasn't as difficult as Prompto had initially feared to just hold it tight until Gladio made it up.

"You alright, Gladio?" Noctis asked once the older man had made it back up with the others.

"Yep. Not a scratch on me." Gladio boasted.

"That's not true." Prompto narrowed his eyes and frowned. They were both covered in scrapes and bruises. Gladio was too. Prompto had seen his arms.

"Not a significant scratch." Gladio rolled his eyes, raising one arm up and looking at the scrapes up and down it. "Shit like this happens every day out here. I'm fine."

"Allow me to do a quick first aide job on the two of you, and we'll be on our way." Ignis demanded, gripping Prompto's upper arms lightly in his hands and leading the younger man toward a large boulder along the edge of the tunnel.

"Aww… Can't we just get out of here? Do the first aide later?" Prompto pouted, glancing down the path, longing to get started back down it so they'd be away from this nightmare. He'd lasted this long without any Ignis-level medical care. He honestly believed he'd make it back to camp still alive and kicking if they just headed straight there. Got out of this dark, cold, terrible place as soon as possible.

"Each of our well being is my top priority." Ignis responded. "We need to be ready for anything, and trying to power through while injured isn't helpful. There's no harm in making sure no one has a serious injury before we trudge all the way back through this dangerous tunnel."

"It's dangerous?" Prompto frowned, staring down the dark tunnel, back the way they'd come in. The four of them had walked down this way, then Noct and Iggy went back out, then back in. How many monsters were there that three run-throughs didn't get rid of them all? "It's still dangerous? Even after you guys went back through it twice? Did even more monsters come out?" He wondered.

"A few. So if anyone's injured, I need to know exactly how significant those injuries are - so we can keep that in mind during our travels back." Ignis explained. "If someone can't fight, for instance, we need to keep them in the middle and protect them."

"Well, I can fight…" Prompto promised. He probably couldn't have a couple hours ago, but he had recovered pretty well from the shock of falling, from the hit to his head. He was pretty much back to normal at this point, besides a bit of pain here and there. Nothing that would keep him from contributing.

"I'll be the judge of that." Ignis persisted, taking a first aide kit out of his jacket.

Prompto exhaled a tired breath and looked up at the cave's ceiling. He wished they could just get out of here. "Are you sure this can't wait, Iggy? It's so cold and dark and dreadful in here… That, and we were in that hole for two hours. If our injuries were life-threatening, we'd have died already."

"Quiet, Prompto." Ignis warned, taking some sort of wet cloth or wipe thing that smelled like alcohol and dabbing it across the cut on Prompto's forehead.

Prompto let out a sharp hiss as the injury stung, but tried to hold still. "How does it look, Iggy?" He asked, his voice very slightly shaking. He knew the head injury was potentially the most serious. Gladio had treated it as such anyway.

"Not too bad. Bled a lot, but it's dried up… I'll just clean and bandage it really quickly…" He noted, doing so as he explained. "Shouldn't scar. It's about an inch-long cut and it's not too deep. Just keep it clean and covered. I mean that, Prompto. It's not a serious injury, but it will scar if you don't take care of it."

"Okay, Mom. Geeze." Prompto laughed.

Ignis frowned, narrowing his eyes as he stared into Prompto's. "Have you been dizzy or confused in the past half hour or so?"

Prompto shook his head. "Not really."

Ignis raised his eyebrows. "Not really?" He must not have liked that answer.

Prompto exhaled. "I'm not dizzy. Not confused. I was like right at first, but I feel pretty normal now. Besides nervous as hell to still be in here."

"Very well… Any other injuries?" Ignis wondered.

"Well… Probably not…" Prompto shrugged out of Gladio's jacket, handing it back to the man. "Thanks, Gladio…" He turned back toward Ignis, looking over his own arms, over a series of bruises and scrapes. "Small stuff, I guess… and my wrist kinda hurts, but I climbed all the way up using it and it wasn't that bad, and Gladio doesn't think it's broken."

"May I see?" Ignis asked.

Prompto held his arm up, holding in a breath as Ignis narrowed his eyes and ran his fingers gently over it, turning the limb carefully in his hands. "On this side?" He asked, lightly brushing his fingertips over a bruise forming on the outside of Prompto's wrist.

Prompto nodded. "Kinda… but like… the whole thing. Probably just bruised, right?" He breathed, feeling more and more worried by the second. Gladio's assessment of the injury had been so quick… Was the fact that Ignis was looking at it longer mean maybe it really was broken?

"And you climbed up using it… it wasn't in excruciating pain?" Ignis frowned, looking up into Prompto's eyes.

"N-not excruciating, I don't think… Just… It hurt, but not like so bad I wanted to cry or anything…" Prompto frowned.

Ignis nodded, running his fingers up and down the limb again, then gently letting go. "We'll keep an eye on it - if the pain worsens, if it swells more… I'm guessing it's nothing serious, but I can't know for sure without an x-ray. It doesn't seem to be broken - not by a mere external visual inspection.."

"Yeah… That's what we thought too." Prompto couldn't help but to breathe out a relieved exhale and closed his eyes.

Ignis took a step back, looking Prompto up and down and nodding again. "Is that all then? You're otherwise uninjured?"

Prompto shrugged. "I think so… Mostly just landed on my head and arm, I guess…"

"Alright… Oh, before I forget. I brought you that jacket I told you about." Ignis noted, reaching down to where he'd gotten the supplies to patch Prompto up and picking the garment up. "It's going to be a little long on you, but it'll do the job."

Prompto couldn't help but to smile as he reached out for the garment. It was definitely going to be a little big, but not nearly as big as Gladio's. Ignis was tall, but he wasn't hugely muscular like Gladio was.

"Thanks, Iggy. Now Gladio won't have to lend me his right off his back…" He laughed, glancing toward Gladio with a smile. "Thanks for that, by the way. Maybe one of these days I'll remember to bring my own clothes so you all won't have to look after me like I'm a little kid."

"You practically are a kid, Prompto. In age and mentality." Gladio smirked.

Prompto frowned. "Is that in insult? Should I take offense to that?"

Gladio shrugged. "It's not all bad."

"Gladio, I'd like to look you over too, if you don't mind." Ignis spoke.

Gladio shook his head. "I do mind. I'm fine."

Ignis crossed his arms over his chest. "It's not heroic to refuse help when you need it, Gladio. It's foolish."

Prompto felt his eyes widen at the fact that Ignis was being so blunt in criticizing the other man. He glanced toward Noctis, hoping to perhaps make a joke about it, only to find Noctis was actually staring at Gladio and Ignis with furrowed brows, like he was genuinely worried.

"Gladio's fine, Noct…" Prompto whispered, stepping close and nudging Noctis with his elbow.

Noctis shook his head, looking away from Gladio and Ignis and smiling at Prompto. "Iggy just wants to be sure." He noted, putting his arm around Prompto's shoulders again. "Glad you're okay, man."

"Yeah. Me too." Prompto agreed. "I thought for a second - like a couple different times actually - that I might be about to die." He laughed.

Noctis frowned and exhaled. "Must have been scary. That was a pretty deep hole. You both had me and Ignis worried half to death."

"Really?" Prompto breathed. "I kinda thought…"

Noctis stared at him with furrowed brows. "Kinda thought what? That we wouldn't be worried? Right after you fell, we were yelling down there. Gladio said you were knocked out and didn't really tell us more for like two minutes. Longest two minutes ever, by the way… We were terrified."

Prompto stared with his mouth hanging slightly open for a second, unsure of what to say. "Sorry…" He finally whispered. "I didn't mean to-"

"No… Prompto, you don't have to apologize for getting hurt…" Noctis frowned. "It was an accident. We don't blame you. If anything I blame myself for leading us all in here… Going too fast, not paying attention to my surroundings."

Prompto shook his head. "Well, I didn't follow you though. I went off the path. Gladio came after me. I should have just stayed on-course."

"Yeah, but we all do that from time to time. Could have happened to anyone… Don't feel bad. No one's mad." Noctis promised him, glancing back toward Gladio who seemed rather annoyed as Ignis looked him over for injuries.

"I don't think Gladio's injured." Prompto told Noctis again, sort of surprised to see his friend looking so concerned by the thought. Gladio was pretty much invincible. He didn't need people to worry about him, because he barely was capable of being hurt.

"Never hurts to be sure though." Noctis shrugged. "He fell down just as far as you did. Probably wouldn't have said anything if he was hurt."

Prompto felt worry rising in his own chest then, wondering if Gladio had been hurt the whole time and just didn't care about himself - worried about Prompto instead. The man really had taken care of Prompto like Prompto mattered more than he did - giving him his jacket, shielding him from falling stones and dirt. Sure, Gladio kept insisting he wasn't hurt, but maybe he was lying.

With a frown, Prompto looked over to where Ignis was looking the man over. He didn't look like he was in pain. Ignis didn't seem concerned about any of the scrapes and bruises up and down his arms.

"Gladio's always been like that." Noctis noted.

"Yeah..." Prompto agreed. He was well aware of that fact.

"Seems you're right, Gladio. Just scrapes and bruises." Ignis finally noted as he stood up straight, re-wrapping his first aide kit and placing it back inside his jacket pocket.

"Told ya." Gladio scowled, crossing his arms over his chest, glancing toward Prompto for a moment with raised eyebrows and a smirk, as though having won some sort of unspoken bet between them. "It's gonna take more than falling in a pit to take me down."

"Well… you literally were taken down by falling into the pit though." Prompto noted with a smirk of his own. "By definition-"

"Shut up, Prompto. Let's get the hell out of here." Gladio grumbled.

Prompto nodded, allowing Ignis and Gladio to lead the way while he and Noctis stayed at the back. He wasn't going to stray off the path this time. Any place he put either foot down in this place was going to be a section of ground someone else stepped on first.

xxxxxx


	6. Chapter 6

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Chapter 6

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"I'm tellin' ya… when the last thing you remember is falling full speed down an endless hole, hitting everything imaginable on the way down, and you wake up to Gladio staring down at you, looking like actually for real worried… talking to you like you might be takin' your last breath any second now..." Prompto shook his head. "I legit thought I might be dying."

"I don't think I've ever seen Gladio legitimately concerned about anything. Maybe pissed off - but not worried." Noctis laughed, shooting Gladio a raised-eyebrow smirk.

"You must have been terribly frightened, Prompto." Ignis responded as he finished his meal and set his plate down on the ground next to his chair. "I'm glad neither of you were seriously injured. We're very lucky everyone made it out okay."

"Well, more or less. I hope I don't get a scar from this." Prompto gestured up to the cut on his forehead, which Ignis had cleaned and bandaged earlier.

"You won't." Noctis shook his head. "Ignis is great at preventing scars. He knows exactly how to bandage things so they'll heal fast and clean. He could be an actual doctor."

Gladio frowned as he watched Prompto from across the campfire. He was glad Ignis was good at mending injuries. Gladio sure as hell wasn't. Poor Prompto had been left with absolutely the worst person in their group to be left with while injured. Gladio hadn't even considered trying to clean the cut or find something to bandage it with. He just made sure Prompto was able to wake back up and that was about the end of it. The injury wasn't really dealt with. Gladio wasn't sure about the kid's wrist either. He'd just guessed. Gladio had never felt so in over his head and out of his element ever in his life.

He had been honestly terrified when Prompto didn't wake back up right away… Then a moment later when the boy was clearly confused, dizzy… Gladio wasn't sure he was equipped to handle it by himself. They'd each gotten hurt in fights with monsters before, but the whole group was always there. Gladio was never the one who had to deal with it alone. His area of expertise was defending people, fighting, being useful before anyone got hurt - not after.

Being down in that pit, with Prompto unconscious, bleeding, struggling to really breathe… clearly hurt… It had been scary. Gladio didn't often get frightened, but he was genuinely scared back there… The others didn't need to know that of course. Gladio didn't like sharing his fears out loud. It wasn't helpful and it made him look weak.

"Then the tunnel started to collapse even more! Stuff was raining down from the sky like the apocalypse, and Gladio, being the absolute hero he is, shielded me with his actual body!" Prompto continued his rather animated re-telling of the events that had unfolded earlier today.

Now that they were out of the tunnels, camping under the stars once again, and everyone else was exhausted, the younger man was entirely wound up and fully ready to forgo sleep for a while. Of course, he was the only one in the group who had managed to sneak in a nap during this ordeal.

"I mean, stuff was falling, fast. Dust, dirt, rocks the size of your fist!" Prompto exaggerated, holding his fist up to demonstrate and pretending to shrink down as though things were falling down on them from the sky as he spoke. "It was just raining down, like a dust storm full of boulders… sharp ones… Ones that could kill you if they hit you wrong... Like a meteor shower. I wouldn't have been surprised if some of 'em caught fire. That's how fast they were whizzing down around us. And he put himself between me and the storm. It was awesome. Felt like I was real important there for a minute, like I was the prince here, being fiercely protected..."

"You are important, Prompto." Ignis stared across the fire at him with a frown. "You deserve protection as much as anyone."

"Well…" Prompto laughed nervously. "Maybe… You'd definitely think so seeing how Gladio acted though. Damn. He was like putting himself in the line of fire to keep me from getting hit. Real heroic stuff…"

Noctis glanced toward Gladio with a grateful smile, which made Gladio look down. It was weird that even Noctis was treating him like he'd done something special, when Gladio himself had felt so uncertain and powerless during the whole thing.

"He gave me his jacket right off his back too." Prompto noted. "Before Iggy brought me this one." He raised his arms up, looking down at the jacket, which was too big on him, but did indeed look pretty cozy at the moment. "Man, that Gladio, am I right?" He smirked.

"One of a kind." Noctis agreed with a small laugh.

"We're lucky to have you, Gladio." Ignis agreed.

Gladio shook his head and shrugged. "Thanks…" he mumbled. He almost felt like they were just humoring him at this point. He'd fallen into a hole, felt terrified during it, gave Prompto a jacket and made sure he didn't get hit in the head with a rock after already giving himself a concussion… Prompto came out of the pit with dried blood caking half of his face, with his arm hurt. They'd relied on Noctis and Ignis to get a rope because they couldn't get out on their own. Was Gladio really a hero in all of this? Like at all?

"And I know I did manage to climb out by myself, but he totally offered to carry me." Prompto laughed. "And he could have too. I'll bet he could have carried me and himself up on that rope. I could'a just let him go full-hero and save my ass completely… but I decided to not be completely useless."

Gladio shook his head and rolled his eyes. "You weigh like ten pounds. It would'a been easy."

Prompto laughed. "Remember you said that. I get tired of walking fairly often… so you can carry me next time that happens."

"Not in a million years, champ." Gladio smirked.

"Well… I think I'm gonna head into the tent. I'm exhausted after all that." Noctis noted, standing up and stretching.

"Yeah, and we didn't even make it to the end of that one." Prompto laughed nervously as he stood up as well. "Does that mean we'll have to go back and try again later?"

"Yeah… but we'll give it a few days. There's other stuff to be done in the meantime." Noctis shrugged. "Next time let's stay on the path."

"No shit." Prompto laughed, following Noct toward the tent. "I'm never gonna stray from any path ever again. You guys lead the way. I follow. End of story…"

"You say that now, but I doubt you won't get distracted…" Noctis smiled, putting his hand on Prompto's shoulder and letting the younger man climb into the tent first.

"You never know. One of these days I'm gonna finally grow up and stop acting like an idiot all the time. Gotta happen sooner or later." Prompto noted.

"Yeah… Probably later. I doubt you're growing up anytime soon." Noctis laughed, zipping the tent behind them.

Gladio shook his head. Noctis was one to talk. He and Prompto both acted like kids half the time. But then, they were still pretty young. All four of them were, but Noct and Prompto practically were still kids. They'd only graduated high school a couple years earlier. Neither of them had had to ever be out in the world much, in real danger. They were both sheltered, in a way, more vulnerable to danger since they had a sort of naivety to them - like they thought they were invincible.

Noctis had had a pretty heavy burden placed on him solely due to being born into the family he was a part of… Prompto had allowed himself to get wrapped up in this solely because Noctis was his best friend. They were both young, somewhat naive, sometimes seemingly quite out of their element being involved in something so serious, so dangerous, so big.

Whether Gladio had intended for it to be the case or not, what had started off feeling more like a job had sort of turned into him feeling genuine care for all three of the men he was traveling with. He realized he would do anything to protect them, and not just because he felt it was his duty. He loved them like brothers… and with both Noct and Prompto being a bit more careless, being smaller, easier to hurt… especially Prompto… mixed with Gladio actually caring about them as people, his job became all the more complicated, stressful, emotionally draining.

When he was down in that pit with Prompto, with the kid unconscious, not responsive, clearly hurt… Gladio didn't just feel like he may have failed in doing his job to keep everyone safe - he felt like he'd failed as a friend, as a brother.

Being down there, fearing that he didn't know enough, couldn't do enough to keep Prompto alive… He had felt painfully powerless, useless. This only ended well because they got lucky. If Prompto had hit his head harder, or if he had a serious injury that was bleeding heavily, Gladio might not have been able to fix it. He was down there on his own. It was on him to protect Prompto, to make sure he made it back out of that pit alive and safe… and Gladio might not have been able to do it under different circumstances.

Gladio exhaled softly, staring down at the fire for a moment before realizing Ignis was quietly watching him from a few yards away. "What?" Gladio frowned, swallowing and crossing his arms across his chest.

Ignis raised his eyebrows slightly and shook his head. "Nothing at all." He responded, but didn't look away. He seemed to be attempting to read Gladio, and was perhaps doing a good job at it. Gladio hadn't even spoken any of his thoughts aloud, but the way Ignis was looking at him, he wouldn't have honestly been surprised to learn the man was able to read minds.

"Well, stop staring at me." Gladio pouted. Ignis needed to keep his insanely perceptive eyes on Noct and Prompto. Not Gladio. Gladio didn't need anyone dragging things out of him. He'd talk if he wanted to - and he probably wasn't going to want to.

"What's wrong?" Ignis asked after a few seconds of silence. "I can see something's bothering you…"

Gladio shook his head, staring back down at the fire, which was dying down into glowing embers by this point.

"It must have been frustrating for you to be stuck down there, not being able to really work toward a resolution." Ignis noted. "You're ordinarily one to quickly solve anything and everything, to fight through whatever lies ahead of us without a second thought. It didn't work quite like that today. You were kind of forced to hold still and wait on someone else to do the heavy lifting. I know that must have been hard."

With a frown, Gladio looked up at the other man. He wasn't sure how the guy seemed almost able to read people's minds. He must have really paid attention to details, facial expressions, body language. He always seemed to know how people were feeling - what was bothering them - even without asking - or in this case, without having received a response to what he did ask.

"But you did exactly what you needed to do." Ignis went on. "I could only imagine Prompto was probably starting to panic. I know how he gets even when he isn't hurt, even when he hasn't just fallen down into a pit. You kept him calm, kept him safe… and yourself. You kept yourself calm and safe. That was all you could do at that point, and you did a fine job of it."

"Yeah." Gladio shrugged. He did what he could.

"Then what's bothering you?" Ignis frowned.

Gladio shook his head again. "Just… that it could have been worse. I might not have been able to fix it if if was worse - if he was seriously hurt, if the thing caved in more than it did afterward… When it started crumbling again, I was kinda… I really didn't know how much it would cave in, if we'd be buried… Prompto was scared. I pretended like I knew it was gonna be fine, but I didn't know."

"You kept calm, to keep him calm." Ignis noted. "We're all out of there now. No one is seriously hurt. Prompto seems to regard it as a fun story more than a traumatic memory… I think you did fine. More than fine. You were scared, and I'll bet Prompto didn't even notice. You stayed calm for his sake."

"Yeah." Gladio shrugged. "I guess… I didn't want him panicking."

"I'm just glad he wasn't stuck down there all by himself…" Ignis noted.

Gladio nodded. If Prompto had fallen alone, if he hadn't yelled back up to them right away, since he had been knocked out for at least a full minute… What would they have done? It was terrifying even being down there with him, knowing he was at least still breathing while Gladio tried to wake him. If they hadn't known even that, couldn't see that he wasn't buried under fallen stones and dirt, couldn't see that he was even still alive… That would have been dreadful.

"Not that I'm glad you fell down too-" Ignis started.

"No. I agree. I wouldn't have wanted him down there alone." Gladio agreed. "He was clearly disoriented at first… Couldn't stand and walk right away. And you saw how scuffed up he is. He'd have panicked for sure… Especially when more of the walls started crumbling a little while later… I'm glad he wasn't alone."

Ignis nodded. "Alright… So don't beat yourself up over this. You did everything right… and if it had been worse - which it wasn't - I'm sure you could have handled it."

"I don't know…" Gladio disagreed.

"You would have. You wouldn't have thought this morning that you could handle falling down a hole that deep, but you managed. You can handle anything life throws at you, and you know it. What happened today was kind of scary, but you did fine." Ignis promised. "Prompto sees you as a hero. So do I."

Gladio forced a small laugh and shook his head. "I'm a hero for falling down into a pit and getting stuck there for two hours?"

"No. You're a hero for protecting Prompto in that pit, for making sure he felt safe enough to doze off while you two waited, for shielding him when more debris fell…" Ignis explained. "The fact that the tunnel collapsed was out of your control. You remained calm and did what needed to be done."

"So did you guys, I guess." Gladio frowned, realizing now that Ignis and Noctis likely felt similarly frustrated and powerless during this, having to leave their friends behind to go get the rope. Gladio certainly wouldn't have liked having to leave anyone behind like that to go back for supplies.

"I think Noctis was pretty worried about you guys." Ignis noted. "He looked like he wanted to throw up once we made it out and back to the campsite. He didn't talk much, but what little he did say - I could tell he was very concerned, and felt guilty for leaving."

"Concerned about Prompto, maybe." Gladio scoffed. He and Noctis barely got along half the time. The kid probably wished Gladio would have fallen down further so they could just save Prompto and leave Gladio there.

"Concerned for both of you." Ignis frowned. "You don't honestly believe he wasn't worried about you, do you?"

Gladio shrugged.

"Noct can seem a bit aloof sometimes, but he cares a great deal about you. He was very worried - about you both." Ignis told him. "That's why he made me look you over for injuries too once we got the two of you out. Even when you promised you were fine. That wasn't me insisting that I look you over anyway. That was him."

"Really? Noct made you do that?" Gladio laughed. He was certain Ignis was just being paranoid. Gladio had kept promising he wasn't hurt, and Ignis made him sit down and checked over his limbs and checked him for head injuries anyway.

"I trust your word when you tell me you're not hurt. You're not a child, Gladio… But all the way back, Noct kept going on, worrying that if you were injured, you'd gloss over it, make sure we helped Prompto instead…" Ignis explained. "He went on and on about it so much, I couldn't just let it go once we got back. I knew he wouldn't stop worrying until I proved to him that you were fine. Did you not see him staring at you how he was?"

Gladio shook his head. He hadn't really paid attention. He was just really annoyed with Ignis, and kind of more focused on Prompto.

"Don't you ever think anyone in this group doesn't care about the rest of us." Ignis frowned. "I think you spend so much time trying to protect everyone else that you forget we're all here to do the same for you. You're not invincible, Gladio. You don't always have to be a fearless hero. No one expects you to be."

"I expect me to be…" Gladio frowned.

"Well, stop it." Ignis stared. "No one's perfect. You can't put that much pressure on yourself."

Gladio exhaled and leaned back, looking up at the stars. "You're probably right, Iggy… I gotta give myself a break. I was just so worried Prompto might be seriously hurt, and I felt like an idiot for letting him turn around and get off-track… He noticed something off to the side, and I didn't tell him to focus and keep going. I turned and went with him - 'cuz I honeslty wanted to see what it was too…"

"You couldn't have known the path would cave in." Ignis reminded him.

"Yeah, I know… I just kinda felt guilty, and foolish…" Gladio shrugged, looking back at Ignis. "I realize I've been being hard on myself. I just got scared. I can usually fix pretty much anything, fight any monster, help people. When Prompto didn't wake up right away, when he was hurt and I couldn't get us out… I felt powerless, and I didn't like it."

"You're only human." Ignis noted.

"Yeah…" Gladio laughed. He was. He often expected himself to be more than an average person - to be able to handle literally anything, to be able to solve anything, all on his own. But that just wasn't possible. Like Ignis said, he did do okay with what he'd been dealt today. He kept Prompto safe, didn't show his fear outwardly, kept the boy calm. He did okay.

"So… Noct was really worried, huh?" Gladio changed the subject.

Ignis nodded. "He made us run most of the way back. It was positively exhausting."

"I'll bet…" Gladio laughed.

"Nearly forgot the jacket I'd promised Prompto… I doubt he'll use it most of the time." Ignis rolled his eyes.

"You never know. He seemed to enjoy it tonight. Did you see his face when you gave it to him after we climbed up? Looked like a kid in toy store." Gladio smiled.

"He did seem rather pleased with it." Ignis laughed. "Perhaps I'll let him keep it long-term if he wants it. I don't need two."

Gladio nodded. "He's lucky you're here, Iggy. We all are."

"Thank you, Gladio. I do my best." Ignis laughed softly.

Gladio exhaled again, looking up at the stars and then closing his eyes. "Think we can sleep in a bit tomorrow?"

"It's fine by me." Ignis agreed. "I'm a hundred percent sure Noct will sleep as long as no one forces him to get up. Prompto's likely exhausted too. I know he was excited and wound up, but the animated story-telling alone probably wore him out. I say we sleep until Noct makes us get up for a change."

"That's not a bad idea." Gladio smiled. "Though we'll likely sleep until the early afternoon in that case."

"I wouldn't doubt that… but tonight, I don't think I'd mind much either." Ignis shrugged.

"You know what?" Gladio turned his head to the side, looking toward Ignis. "I don't think I'd mind either. Wouldn't kill us to sleep in for once…"

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THE END

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End file.
